At the main gate of the Hidden Leaf, Hashirama and Tobirama led a force of five hundred shinobi, ready to deploy. Seeing them off were several familiar faces: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, leading the remnants of the Konoha elders.
The reason these four former high-ranking officials were present was simple: the ninja being drafted were from their own clans. Although many had died earlier, that was because those shinobi had disobeyed orders. Now, the four elders had to keep providing obedient soldiers.
Looking at the familiar faces behind the First and Second Hokage, Hiruzen, seated in his wheelchair, offered a bitter smile and made a final, pleading gesture toward the two.
"First Hokage, Tobirama-sensei," he rasped. "This is the last elite force of my Sarutobi Clan. I hope you'll take good care of them and bring them back intact. They're innocent. They had no idea what I was doing. They were raised only to be the future torchbearers of the village."
Minato had taken over two hundred. The Kazekage had accounted for over fourteen hundred. Now, nearly five hundred more were being conscripted. The Sarutobi Clan was down to less than a thousand shinobi. Of those, many weren't even chunin, just academy graduates. If these elite clan members were lost, they wouldn't even have enough manpower to protect their holdings across the Land of Fire.
Before Hashirama or Tobirama could reply, Tsunade's cold voice cut through the air.
"You old fossil! This is war, not a training exercise!" she snapped. "After all the corruption you've been part of, you have the nerve to ask your grandfather and great-uncle to babysit them? Maybe I should hand each of them a pacifier and a wet nurse while I'm at it?"
Tsunade had sensed something was wrong in the village for a long time but couldn't pinpoint it. Now, witnessing the crimes of the Konoha elders firsthand, she finally understood all her previous unease. She felt nothing but disgust and loathing for Hiruzen. If Jiraiya and the others hadn't stopped her yesterday, she would have stormed into his house to tear it apart.
"Tsunade, I..." Hiruzen's face darkened, then collapsed into a dejected sigh.
Jiraiya looked at the emaciated man strapped into his wheelchair, looking utterly lifeless. A grim thought crossed his mind: perhaps it would have been better if Hiruzen had just died at Orochimaru's hands. As the former Third Hokage, he wasn't just ousted; he was a helpless cripple. All his past achievements had been erased, destined to be remembered with shame, despised by everyone. For a man like him, who had spent his life cultivating a perfect image, this was a fate worse than death. It was like being sliced apart, day by day.
Jiraiya was honestly curious why Hiruzen hadn't just killed himself. If he were in his shoes, he would have ended it long ago.
Tobirama shared the same thought. But seeing his once-beloved student in such a state, his anger had faded. Besides, Hiruzen had been cooperative with the recent summons, so Tobirama couldn't help but offer a crumb of comfort.
"Monkey," he said, his voice rough. "Even if you strayed from the path, you can still correct your mistakes and regain your dignity."
Hashirama stepped forward and clapped a heavy hand on Hiruzen's shoulder. "Don't worry, Monkey. They're the young hope of Konoha. I'll do everything I can to bring them back."
The conversation completely ignored Danzo Shimura, sitting in his own wheelchair nearby, along with Homura and Koharu, who were mixed in with the conscripted force. The three of them didn't seem to mind, huddling together and whispering.
"Homura, Koharu," Danzo muttered. "Hiruzen is useless now. He just wants to use us to replenish his Sarutobi Clan. My last forty Root ninja will follow your orders. You must secure Orochimaru's research data. Don't let the First and Second Hokage destroy it."
After acquiring Danzo's Root legacy and bringing him into the Sarutobi Clan, Hiruzen had promptly handed over Danzo's remaining Root ninja to the conscription force. As for Homura and Koharu, to protect their last remaining seeds of power, they had no choice but to go to war themselves.
"Grandfather, great-uncle," Tsunade said, lingering worry in her voice. "Please be careful."
Hashirama and Tobirama led their shinobi quickly toward the gate. The Land of Rice Fields bordered the Land of Fire. Setting off at full speed, they would arrive in about half a day.
...
At the border of the Land of Rice Fields, three figures, two tall and one short, clad in red cloud robes, appeared slowly.
"I didn't expect a newcomer like you to choose gold and red," Deidara said, glancing at Menma's gold and red fingernails, answering his own question, "Very good, just like the color of my brilliant art, hm!"
Hearing Deidara's words, Menma frowned slightly and retracted his hand into his sleeve.
Sasori, sitting inside his Hiruko puppet, took advantage of the silence to speak in a low voice. "We're almost there. When the time comes, hand Orochimaru over to me. I have to kill him myself. You all stay on the sidelines to stop him from escaping."
Orochimaru had once been Sasori's teammate and a surveillance target. He'd successfully defected, even stealing the Third Kazekage's cells from Sasori. That was a massive humiliation. On top of that, Sasori wanted Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation technique and his data on human experimentation. To him, Orochimaru was a mortal enemy he had to kill personally.
"Is Lord Sasori planning to get revenge for Orochimaru's escape last time?" Deidara asked, recalling how easily Orochimaru had slipped away. He looked annoyed.
"Don't worry. This time, I and the newbie will corner him. He won't get away again, hm!" Deidara promised.
Menma shrugged. "Don't count me in. I'm going for the ring first."
"Just complete your mission," Sasori said, not seeming to mind. He suddenly changed direction, heading into the woods beside the road. "You all wait here. Orochimaru has some of my subordinates in the area. I need to contact him privately to set up a meeting."
Deidara stopped, but Menma raised a hand to block Sasori's path.
"No need to contact him. Let's go straight to Sound Village. Kabuto Yakushi has already released your ninjutsu tracking and won't give you any real information."
Menma's words made Sasori's heart skip a beat. He stared intently at him. "How do you know all this?"
"Want to know?" Menma chuckled darkly. "Join my Four-Star Village. Become my subordinate, and I'll naturally tell you."
"I can even give you Tailed Beast chakra you can use without becoming a jinchuriki. And don't worry, I won't force you to leave Akatsuki."
As he spoke, Menma looked over at Deidara, who was playing with clay nearby. "You can consider it too. That Tailed Beast chakra can help you defeat Itachi Uchiha."
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